Well, I would have never imagined that in this era of emissions regulations, fuel economy regulations, and downsized, overhead cam, multi valve engines everywhere you look that they'd be a brand new design big block released. But, it's happened. A brand new, all aluminum, V-8 big block of 453 cid. It's old-school cam-in-block and 2 valves per cylinder and naturally aspirated. Who needs turbos with 453 cid? Will we ever see it in a Corvette? NEVER; it's a new FORD engine. Who would have thought that the company that led the charge to small displacement, multi valve, overhead cam, turbocharged engines would have designed and built an engine like this new 453 cid in today's world? Obviously, it's destined for some truck applications but it's going to be available in crate engine form.
I've got to hand this to Ford: over the last 50 years they've produced some very special engines. The 427 push-rod V-8 that in the Ford GT finished 1-2-3 at LeMans in 1966 vanquishing the exotic, race-bred foreign engines to the new big block of 2020. The old 427 was the direct descendant of the 332 V-8 which first appeared in 1958 Ford sedans. Ford also had many other unique and capable engines like the 1969-70 Boss 302, the marriage of a special Windsor block with special Cleveland heads and the Boss 429 which, in my opinion, is the best looking engine ever installed in a US built car.
Please don't look at me as a turn-coat; I'm just giving credit where credit is due. It's the River City Joe in me.
I've got to hand this to Ford: over the last 50 years they've produced some very special engines. The 427 push-rod V-8 that in the Ford GT finished 1-2-3 at LeMans in 1966 vanquishing the exotic, race-bred foreign engines to the new big block of 2020. The old 427 was the direct descendant of the 332 V-8 which first appeared in 1958 Ford sedans. Ford also had many other unique and capable engines like the 1969-70 Boss 302, the marriage of a special Windsor block with special Cleveland heads and the Boss 429 which, in my opinion, is the best looking engine ever installed in a US built car.
Please don't look at me as a turn-coat; I'm just giving credit where credit is due. It's the River City Joe in me.
- just kidding...now that you're out of the closet, I can come out too. I was an ex-Blue Oval employee 1977 to 1981 when "we?" were the #2 automaker in terms of size and production in those days. In addition to what you say about the big blocks, I did several jobs in both the Windsor and Cleveland engine and casting plants (Cleveland actually had two engine plants back then). I will tell you in those days, there was a genuine healthy competition between our Canadian friends in Windsor (literally across the river from Detroit) and the Cleveland folks with regard to the 351s. I'm rather partial now to my Chevy 427-400, but the 351s - of Windsor or Cleveland birth - wound up in a lot of cars...thx for your comments Joe, I enjoyed them - Mark
Just came back from a 4700 mile trip, fully loaded stuff in the bed total trip averaged 19.9MPG. Empty bed 200 mile door-to-door highway day trips to visit our ill relative got 23.9MPG. 
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